LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Published
4:00 am PDT, Sunday, April 3, 2005

Contrasting Christian paths at Easter time

Editor -- On Easter Sunday (March 27) you ran two stories that showed different views of what being a Christian means -- one on a socialite turned nun ("From high society to a higher calling"), the other on St. Boniface Church ("Sacred Sleep," Insight section).

The nun rejected the world for the convent. But while she prayed every day to God, she never accepted the spouses of three children who married outside of the Catholic Church, nor has she acknowledged her grandchildren from those unions.

St. Boniface Church is open to everybody. St. Boniface demonstrates love and boundless compassion every day with undiscriminating programs for the poor and needy. Whose path has a heart? Who demonstrates true Christian charity?

Perhaps Sister Mary Joseph (Ann Russell Miller) should think about leaving the convent and volunteering at St. Boniface. She might progress more on "the path of heart" in one week than she has in 17 years in the convent.

Editor -- As I read The Chronicle on Easter morning, I was struck by ironically divergent representations of what it means to be a Catholic.

St. Boniface Church opens its doors to homeless San Franciscans so they can experience a few hours of peaceful sleep. The staff at the church draw on their faith to engender compassion for the poorest of our community.

In contrast, a San Francisco socialite-turned-Carmelite nun refused to acknowledge her own grandchildren because their parents were married outside the Catholic Church. Her rigid adherence to doctrine must have caused pain in her family.

I am heartened by the staff at St. Boniface, by Sister Bernie Galvin and by others who labor for social justice. Their work is indeed a "higher calling. "

But there is nothing "higher" about dogma that supercedes kindness.

HELENE MAXWELL

Oakland

Editor -- What a great story and pictures on St. Boniface. I am not a religious person, but reading the article made me realize the significance of a church that truly believes in taking care of people.

I am familiar with the Tenderloin -- I worked for years on Sixth Street. St. Boniface's Gubbio Project, providing a haven for homeless people, should be the model for all places of worship.

Thank you for providing a glorious insight into one of the problems San Francisco has been avoiding for years.

ELISE KAZANJIAN

San Francisco

Editor -- Thanks to The Chronicle, writer
Kevin Fagan
and photographer
Brant Ward
for the excellent article and beautiful photographs detailing how St. Boniface Church, its parishioners and Father
Louie Vitale
provide this much-needed respite for some of San Francisco's homeless.

The article and photos are refreshingly free of typical cliches and judgments about homeless people as well as about those who care about them. I felt a real sense of understanding for at least some of the complex dilemmas associated with homelessness and the souls who find themselves in these circumstances.

I was especially moved when the media were focused on discussions of "the sanctity of life," as the travesty in Florida was spun by the politicians involved. The Chronicle gave us a real-life example of those who are so interested in "the sanctity of human life" that they founded this extraordinary, compassionate and Christ-like project.

Others moved by a desire to preserve the sanctity of human life might do well to follow this model.

GRACE RICCO-PENA

San Rafael

Editor -- You captured something I struggle to put into words. "Sacred Sleep" is a beautiful article. Brant Ward's photographs and Kevin Fagan's text transcend the sacredness of the moment. I surprised myself when I burst into tears.

CARLA SARVIS

San Francisco

Bicyclists and drunks

Editor -- Regarding "Cyclist killed on rural roadside" (March 29): With the third bicyclist killed by a suspected drunken driver in Sonoma County in less than a year, it is time to start asking deeper questions than the California Highway Patrol spokesperson interviewed for your article could muster.

"We have a lot of rural country roads out here," she said, "and people who ride their bikes on these country roads usually know the risk and assume the risk."

This is not the message that should be coming from a public safety official.

Drunken driving threatens the lives of everyone -- those who choose to bicycle, walk or drive.

The Bay Area's ultra-mobile culture seems to be suffering from a basic lack of respect for the lethal nature of motor vehicles, and this results in tragedy after tragedy.

Bicycling and walking on our public roads is a basic human right. If bicyclists are being killed by reckless, drunken individuals, and law enforcement is putting the onus on the victims, surely none of us is safe the minute we set foot outside our homes.